12 Signs He's Falling For You
by TheGirlOfMyHeart
Summary: FFNfic#5: Lucy finds an article in a magazine entitled '12 Signs He's Falling For You'. Curious, she reads it and finds herself thinking of one and one man only. NaLu. [COMPLETE ONESHOT] [WARNING: Natsu may be a bit OOC.]


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**12 Signs He's Falling For You**

TheGirlOfMyHeart

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Lucy Heartfilia sighed, plopping down on her bed, exhausted after a day's mission. Natsu, Gray, and Erza had been typical enough to destroy buildings _again_ in only a few minutes of chasing a ridiculously stubborn criminal mage who spent his most of his life running away from prison. As always, she was the one who held them back, even if it was just a little.

She closed her eyes slowly, feeling the warmth and softness of her bed and started to succumb into sleep when she felt something beside her. Surprised, she turned her head to her right and saw a forgotten Weekly Sorcerer magazine. Her interest was piqued since she hadn't read that edition yet so she sat up in bed, leaning against the pillows and opening the pages.

As usual, Mirajane was on the front page, posing beautifully for the camera. Smiling, she turned to the next, next, and next page until she found something interesting.

"**12 Signs He's Falling For You"**

"I wonder what its contents are…" Lucy wondered aloud. Curious, she read it silently.

_Falling in love is a wonderful thing that nearly everyone out there gets to experience at some point. I admit that it is hard to tell when a guy is falling in love with you. They can send such mixed signals! Below, I am going to give you 12 signs he is falling in love with you. These are 12 of the things I noticed about my husband before I married him and as you know the rest is history..._

**12. HE GOES OUT OF HIS WAY FOR YOU**

_Does he go out of his way for you? Sure, he could always take a shortcut, but does he go that extra mile just because it is something that will make you happy? If so, then this is a sure sign that you have a guy who is falling for you!_

Suddenly a series of flashbacks popped into her mind.

_Lucy getting sick and couldn't attend the Cherry Blossom Festival… Lucy waking up and looking out her window to see an uprooted Cherry Blossom Tree tied to a boat which was flowing on the canal in front of her house… Lucy finding out the ones who did it…_

"_OHANAMI?! I'll go! I'll go! I'll definitely go! All right! What should I wear? Oh, that's right, I'll bring some cookies! Also, also—"_

"_You're too excited."_

"_Well, aren't the rainbow cherry blossoms going to bloom?! They're really beautiful, right? I've always wanted tosee it if I ever had the chance to come to Magnolia."_

…

"_Eh?! You're not going, Lucy?"_

"_I… I wand do go… Ugh… I was loogig forward do id, doo…"_

"_A cold, huh."_

"_Sorry, I'b… goig do bed…"_

…

"_What's that?"_

"_Whoa!"_

"_Sure is loud outside…"_

_Opens window and eyes widen._

"_What… is that…"_

"_WHAT'S THAT?"_

"_The tree… is floating away!"_

"_Who did this?!"_

_Smiles serenely. "So pretty…"_

…

"_Is your cold gone?"_

"_Yeah! I'm in tip-top shape!"_

"_Thank goodness, Lucy."_

"_HEY! WHO UPROOTED ONE OF THE TOWN'S PRECIOUS TREES!? THE MAYOR'S FURIOUS, YOU KNOW!"_

_Sweats profusely._

_Giggles. "Thanks."_

"_Wh… What're you talking about!? We have no idea what you mean!"_

11. HE LOVES SPENDING TIME WITH YOU

_It just goes without saying that when you're in love, you enjoy spending time with the person you are in love with. Instead of going out with his buddies, does he decide to spend time with you? Instead of doing one of his favorite hobbies, would he prefer spending time with you doing one of your favorite hobbies? If so, then watch out...he may just be falling for you!_

—

"_Oi, Natsu, wanna come with us to the bar?" Elfman shouts._

"_No thanks. I gotta find Lucy," Natsu mumbles, standing up from his chair and walking out of the guild. "Maybe next time!"_

_Mira smiles secretly from afar._

…

"_I wanna go fishing!"_

"_Sorry, Natsu. There's this book I really, really want to read in the library…" Lucy smiles apologetically._

"…_What's the story about? I'll come with you."_

10. HE SMILES AT YOU

_Sure, guys smile...especially when they are trying to get some and I put that one lightly. However, you can tell a caring smile from a flirty smile. Does he smile at you with that twinkle in his eye? That smile is definitely something to look into._

—

"_Hey… I'm tired," Lucy complains. "We've been fishing for an hour already and we haven't even gotten a single fish!"_

"_Come on, Lucy!" Natsu wails. "Keep on trying! We can't give up now!"_

"…_All right, all right… Just for five minutes…" Lucy grumbles._

_And after a few minutes, something bites on Lucy's bait._

"_Ah! Natsu! I caught one, I caught one! What should I do?" Lucy shrieks, half-excited, half-scared._

_Natsu laughs. "Hey, hey, calm down! Here, let me help you."_

_They both tug hard until a big fish appears from the water, its mouth on the bait._

"_Whoa! It's so large!" Natsu exclaims._

"_Wow…" Lucy says. She turns to Natsu. "Natsu…—"_

_Her voice trails off as she sees the smile on his face. It is neither cheerful nor mean._

_It is serene, and a blush slowly creeps up on her cheeks._

9. HE CAN TALK WITH YOU FOR A LONG TIME

_Guys do not like to "talk things through" when they're upset. Many guys don't like to talk at all. However, when they find a girl that they enjoy spending time with, they feel as if they could talk for a very long time. What is the longest you and your boyfriend have ever spent talking?_

—

"_Hey, Lucy, I don't understand this at all!" Natsu whines._

"_What? What is it?" Lucy peers at him from her book._

"_What does 'he always seems to be my ray of sunshine, my hope, my everything, since he is technically my bestfriend but when observed differently, he is my lover' mean? Why are all the books you read so complicated and hard to understand?"_

_Lucy huffs. "You idiot, that is my favorite line in the story! It means that…"_

_And they spend the whole day arguing, debating, and laughing about it._

8. HE DOESN'T ACT AS IF HE CONTROLS YOU

_When a guy acts as if he controls you, it is not love. That my friend is obsession. Trust me, I have been there and done that. If on the other hand, the guy acts as if he does not control you and tells you that you are free to do what you want (just don't date other guys), then this is a sign that he wants you to himself and is in love with you._

—

"_Hey, Natsu, since you're going to be staying here again tonight, could you mind watching over? I have a date."_

"_Okay."_

…

"_Hey, Natsu, I can't go fishing today. I'm kind of seeing this guy and…"_

"…_You're standing me up again," Natsu pouts._

_Lucy laughs. "I'll make it up to you."_

"_No, no," he says almost seriously. "You're free to do whatever you want, Lucy. I don't own you. But! We'll have to go fishing tomorrow. Got it?"_

7. HE GETS YOU GIFTS

_Sure, every guy can get a girl a gift. However, if he gets you gifts AND matches some of my signs, then you may have yourself a keeper. What gifts has your boyfriend gotten you? The more special the gifts, the more you mean to him. Maybe a diamond ring is in the future!_

—

"_Happy birthday, Lucy!" Levy, Mira, Wendy, Juvia, Cana, and the others greet happily._

"_Thank you, you guys!" Lucy beams._

_Natsu comes up to her and hands over almost embarrassingly a brown paper bag. "Here," he says._

_Lucy blinks. "What's that?"_

"_Your gift, duh."_

"_What is it?" She opens the bag and peers inside._

_He hesitates. "It's…"_

"_Oh my gosh!" Her eyes widen into saucers and she looks at Natsu incredulously. "Natsu… You…"_

"…_You don't like it?"_

"_I don't like it? Heck no! I love it! Thank you, thank you so much!" She pounces on him, tackling him to the floor in happiness._

"_What did he get you, Lucy-san?" Juvia asks politely and curiously._

_She grins at her. "An original copy of my most favorite book in the whole world."_

**6. HE TREATS YOU WITH RESPECT**

_When a man is in love with a woman, he respects her. He cares about the details of her life. He treats her well. If your guy values your opinions, compliments your character, celebrates your accomplishments, pays attention to details, and even accommodates your quirky habits — He stocks the fridge with Diet Coke even though he can't stand the stuff, for example — you've got a keeper who's falling fast and hard for you._

—

"_Natsu," Erza says. "What do you think of this new armor of mine."_

_Natsu shrugs. "Ask Lucy here."_

…

"_What do you think of Lucy, Natsu?" Gray asks._

_Lucy looks at him, curious._

_Natsu looks thoughtful for a moment. "She's a good person."_

"_And?"_

"_She's nice."_

"…_That's kind of redundant."_

"_She's intelligent, she's… pretty… She's strong, she cares, and she's the best friend anyone could ever have."_

_She blushes a deep shade of red._

…

"_I did it!" she cheers. "I did it, Natsu! I won!"_

_He grins at her cheerfully. "Yeah, you did. You were amazing back there."_

…

"_How did you know I like tulips?"_

"_Well, you mentioned it about two months ago that you and your mother had the same taste in flowers… which are tulips, so…"_

_She smiles bashfully. "I didn't know you listened to that."_

_He grins. "Well, I can be observant, you know."_

**5. YOU'RE ALWAYS ON HIS MIND**

_Does he crack funny jokes during the day? Do songs, signs, and hilarious headlines remind him of you? When you become a very present part of his day even when you're apart, he's invested in the relationship._

—

_He crawls over to her bed late at night._

_She sits up groggily and whispers, "Natsu?"_

"…_I can't sleep."_

"_Why? Is something wrong?" Her expression shows genuine concern._

"_Nothing. I was just… thinking."_

"_Thinking about what?"_

"…_You."_

_She blinks. "What?"_

_He faces her directly. "You've been acting strangely all day. I was just bothered by it. Do you know that everyday, you're always on my mind? I think about the time when you're about to go home, I think about your problems with paying the rent, I think about…"_

_She smiles at him softly. "I'm glad you care, Natsu."_

**4. WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE FUTURE, YOU'RE IN IT**

_Does he make plans for the future that include you? Did he invite you to his buddy's wedding next fall? Does he joke about your future children together? When he's got a future with you on his mind, he's already decided that he has no intentions of letting you go._

—

"_Boy, when we become twenty-six years old, I bet we'd be so strong than ever! We'd still become partners, we'd attend our friends' weddings, we'd have children together…" He notices the horrified look on her face and laughs heartily. "Just joking!"_

_She's flustered as she punches him lightly. "Don't joke about things like that, you idiot."_

3. HE TELLS YOU HE LOVES YOU

_Okay, why not cut to the chase and just say "I love you?" Many guys will not tell a girl that they love them if they do not really mean it. If they tell you that they love you and want to be with you for a long time and they match the signs of some of my other tips, then you may have a guy who is actually in love with you!_

—

"_Lucy, I…"_

"…_Natsu?" She wonders why he is so serious._

_His face breaks into a smile. "I love you."_

_She is shocked to a standstill as his words registered inside her mind._

"_I want to always be with you. With Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, Mira, and the others, too. We're all nakama. We all care for each other, don't we? And we'll never, ever leave each other's sides."_

_She regains her composure slightly and smiles almost forcibly, "Yeah…"_

**2. YOU KNOW YOU CAN TRUST HIM AND HE TRUSTS YOU**

_I have this gut instinct of who I can trust and who I cannot trust. If you are the same way and you feel as if you can trust him, then that is perfect. If he trusts you in return, even better. Trust is a must have in every loving relationship._

—

"_Lucy, do you trust me?"_

_She is crying even harder now. "Y-Yes…"_

"_Then go. Leave. I can handle him alone. All that matters is that you'll be safe."_

"_But—"_

_He gives her a smile. "I trust you, Lucy."_

_She hesitates for only a second before dashing off, hoping that he will be safe and that he'll come back to her no matter what._

1. YOU CAN JUST TELL

_When a guy is in love with you and is falling head over heels for you, you can just tell! Face it, he has that smile and all of the other signs of being in love. He has that look in his eyes when he looks at you. He sighs a happy sigh when he sees you. And when he hugs you it seems like he never wants to let go and you believe it when he says "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you in my arms." That my friend is definitely a sign that he is in love with you and that is why I put it at number one._

_If he matches all or some of these signs, Congratulations! you have a keeper! He IS falling in love with you! So, how do you feel about him? Can you see yourself with him years from now?_

—**.;.—**

She gulped. Hoo boy… This was so frustrating. She wished she'd never read that thing.

Oh my God. Natsu _loved_ her?

No, no, no! That was impossible. It couldn't be. It just couldn't.

But then again, she was always wrong.

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**End**

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I know, I know, It was a bit rushed. But I was just soo in a hurry to finish this. I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry for all the errors.


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